Homophobia

[spidertea]

When I lived in Brainerd I got spit on. Somebody keyed dyke into my car and put a dead cat on my windshield. My friend was walking down the street wearing a pink bandanna when a truck full of guys jumped out with baseball bats and broke his jaw. My junior year there was a Homecoming Parade float that mocked the Matthew Shepherd murder

Comments

[arturis]

There are a lot of ways in which the world could be better if things were hypothetically different. Wishing doesn't make it so, as they say. So while you're right that bigotry and fear of violence shouldn't be a deciding factor in how we live our lives, bigotry and violence aren't going anywhere in any kind of hurry.

And to some extent this is a failing of democracy. When such a large portion of the populace disapproves of homosexuality it isn't like the federal government can step in and re-educate the ignorant hicks. Government by the people cannot fix the prejudices of the people.

So what's the solution?

The civil rights movement might be used as a model, but in that case blacks represented a much larger minority than homosexuals and I seriously doubt homosexuals have the critical mass needed to employ the same tactics with any success. As I said before, government intervention is of no help because government needs the approval of the people. We could all give money to the ACLU. That might be good.

But in the short term, I'd really just like it if homosexuals realized that there are places they'll be safe and that they can move there if they want to. Maybe it's just the city-boy in me talking, but seriously just move somewhere you can be accepted.

[spidertea]

Maybe it's just the city-boy in me talking, but seriously just move somewhere you can be accepted.

That is why I moved to Mnpls. But there is still homophobia here, it is just not as overt...

Hate is hate however polite you slice it.

Just because people in the city don't spit or use baseball bats doesn't mean their hatred isn't apparent. Dear Homophobes: Go ahead, just spit on me, don't bother pretending to be a nice person..You're not fooling anyone....

[arturis]

Well, as much as we all may not like it, people have a right to hate. And they should have that right, since we don't want to live in a world where thought is criminalized. They don't have the right to damage your car or assault you and in the city, the big impersonal bureaucratic police department is going to give you a fairer shake at justice than the boys-will-be-boys small town police will.

Wait. You're gay?

[spidertea]

Bi.

And In Brainerd just having gay friends is reason enough to get shit. I also cut my hair really short my sophomore year, and that just wasn't okay.

[arturis]

I'm sad I missed all that juicy confrontation. Of course, I'd probably have just gotten thoroughly beaten-up. But I really enjoy antagonizing people.

[spidertea]

Yeah, it was a lot easier to deal with outright assholes. How do you deal with subtle "nice" homophobes?

[davedash]

Welcome to the city.

I deal with "nice" racists every single day... and it gets old. If you're fine burning bridges, just call them out on it. That's what I did in college, I lost a few friends that way, but the ones that stuck beside me, had more respect for me, and were the "real friends."

[jamesbean]

wait, you like to antagonize people?!

[arturis]

Shut up! Shut up, or you're stupid! I dare you! What?

[spidertea]

In that case I reserve the right to hate the haters.

[tarq]

Well, in Dee's case, she did. But not before she got her share of horror stories.

Adults have a degree of freedom that confused, pubescent teenagers lack. My concern lays with the kids getting hazed because they're different.

[arturis]

Word.

[arturis]

I should get my black belt and open a dojo called "Karate is Gay" and only solicit homosexual students.

[tarq]

Dude, that's so gay.

[mistoffo]

At Children's Theatre some folks decided to take back "gay" as a term meaning "awesome", and inflect it as such:

"Sweet! That's so GAY!"

[jamesbean]

they should make tshirts that say, I'm taking back the Gay!